The Tie That Binds
by NightwingNinja17
Summary: What if Hera and Kanan loved each other so much, that through the Force, Kanan could detect when Hera is hurt or in danger even thought she can't use the force herself? What if Darth Maul learns of this? What will happen to the Jedi of the Ghost crew once Maul has his way? Star Wars Rebels One shot…Mentions of abuse and Rated T to be safe! :D
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! NightwingNinja17 here! And this time it is with a Star Wars Rebels One Shot. This is based on something that I saw happen in the Season 3 trailer for the series. The scene that flashes briefly is one of Maul using the force to what I assume is to give information that Maul wants to know. But I plan on changing that up just a bit, but play right into the rift that Maul represents and how desperately Maul wants Kanan dead so that he could have full access to Ezra.**

 **This will be a two-part one shot. I couldn't write it all and fit it into one long chapter, so I decided to make it into two parts to make it easier on me. This is hopefully to leave you guys also wanting more. Hopefully you guys get the idea.**

 **Also this will be a bit of a tide over story as I fight writer's block to get more of Revenge is Best Served Cold written. I know that you guys loved the idea of a sequel and also really want me to update, but I've hit a dry spot so hopefully I can pull through and write more in the near future.**

 **But anyway..I hope that you have fun reading this story and let me know what you think in your reviews.**

Inside the _Ghost,_ all was quiet, except for the occasional sound of a spray can going off in the resident Madalorian's room and the snoring that came from Zeb, who was splayed out on the couch in the main room.

The only one who seemed to not be making a sound was Hera who was gazing out at the vast array of people who made up the larger Rebel cell that she had come to know and love. They were busy prepping ships for whatever Commander Sato has planned for the various teams.

This was helping her take her mind off of the scarier moments of her life that happened about two months ago.

But then worry seemed to arise in her mind as she quickly found herself back in the place in her mind that she wanted to avoid.

Her boys… her two Jedi boys…..that's what her mind continued to go back to. The reasons why she never heard anything from either Ezra or Kanan was because Ezra was too busy with the holocron to even leave the room. And with Kanan becoming blind, he could hardly moved about without help. But she often found him in the seat of the canon on the top of the ship. Hera could only guess what was going on in her love's head.

"Hey Kanan would you come down here for a second?" Hera looked up, standing at the base of the ladder that separated the canon on the top with the one on the bottom.

"I'm going to need some help," Kanan stopped what he was going and gazed blankly in my direction.

"Alright, I'll place my hand on one of your shoulders when you're level with the floor," She looked back up, tapping the ladder to let the blind Jedi know where she was at.

And that tap was all Kanan needed before making the slow journey down the ladder. Without his eyesight, Kanan had grown meticulous of his movements as if each one would send him plummeting towards the earth. Hera just shook her head, trying to contain laughter, as Kanan slipped just slightly to where he was hanging by his legs from the ladder and was now moving his head around trying to get his bearings.

"Hey you're not supposed to do that," Hera strode towards the man that has stolen her heart, chuckling in the process. She placed her hands on either side of Kanan's head and moved it to where he was now facing her. It was a strange, yet terrifying sight to see how the scar, that was starting to form, stretching from temple to temple, taking away the eyes in the process. His eyes, once a beautiful blue-green color, was now clouded over and looked almost white, because of the scar tissue. The wound had healed, but it still seemed like yesterday that her boy came home with injuries.

"But I want to make you worry about me," Kanan's usual self came out as locked on to me like a missile is to its target, "It's one of the things that made me fall in love with you."

Hera smiled and planted kiss on the Jedi's forehead.

About the time Hera had managed to help Kanan get back on his feet, Ezra sauntered in looking tired but seeming to be better than the last time anyone had seen him.

Seeing the two heads of the Ghost crew smiling broadly and embraced in a side hug., Ezra became confused and looked at his superiors that way.

"What's going on?" Ezra slowly drew closer to the two people he deemed as his adopted parents.

They both laughed.

"Nothing," Hera ended the hug with Kanan, "But I'm glad that you showed up. I have some supplies that need to be picked up on a nearby moon. Thought you two could use some fresh air away from Attoton and others we know for a change."

Hera watched as the two resident Jedi, exchanged glances, although one was more just in the general direction, as they decided whether or not to accept the proposal.

"We'll take it!" Kanan and Ezra said simultaneously.

"Just don't let me slow you down, Grandpa," Ezra punched his master in the shoulder playfully and then guided him in the direction of the _Phantom._

"Who are you calling Grandpa?" Kanan pushed against the hold, almost knocking Ezra over.

They just settled into a small fit of laughter before disappearing all together.

Hera then proceeded to leave her ship as well and began to find a quiet place that she could collect her thoughts at. As she wandered the hallways of the Rebel Base, she thought about the events over the last three months.

She had a lot on her mind since her boys returned from that dreadful planet. With Kanan now blind, who was qualified to lead the team on missions Kanan couldn't go on? She wasn't sure Ezra was up to the task yet as he still had a lot to learn.

Kanan's blindness was also heavy on her mind. She hated that he couldn't look on her with those blue-green eyes she always admired.

Why did that dreadful, so called friend, have to destroy her love in ways that could never be recovered. Kanan had told her all about Maul and who he was. He recounted all of what he knew about the beast to her. He even went back as far as the Clone Wars.

She though back to the day where her and Kanan saw the medic on base to see if there could be anything that could be done. Hera found herself feeling deflated after that visit, when it was confirmed that Kanan would never gain his sight back. The wound was too deep and the burns had ruined the nerve endings that made it possible for sight to be restored.

She reminisced about Kanan's reaction to the news. He seemed to take it well, but then again, he was really good at hiding his emotions. Especially from people who didn't use the Force as he did. But every now and then, she would catch him blindly staring off into the distance with a look of sadness upon his face and occasionally she would glance and find a tear falling down his face. She knew he wasn't coping well with it. That's why she sent Ezra and him on a mission.

That way they could take their minds off of things.

Hera finally found the room that she was looking for. It was a room made for observing Attoton at it's finest. That is if you could call a desert like wasteland fine. She opened the door to the observatory and found it to be empty, devoid of any of the lifeforms that made up the current rebellion. Hera slowly walked up to the window and gazed upon the sandy clifftops and canyons that made up the base. Occasionally, I would see a ship or groups of ships leaving or returning from their many missions that Sato obviously sent them on. But for the most part, it was just as quiet visually as it was audibly. No sound came in or out as the soundproofed walls and glass muffled any noise from the outside world.

"Whoo! I thought you'd never come," A sinister sounding voice emanated from the shadows, revealing to Hera that she wasn't as alone as she thought she was.

The Twi-lek zipped her head around to find a bare-chested, red with black tattoos covering his exposed skin, man standing before me with a look of sheer determination. He blocked Hera's exit out of the place.

She remained silent, but tried to find a way to put herself on the other side of him that way she could escape if she wanted to.

He must have anticipated her ideas as he rushed Hera and turned her around to where he now had her in a choke hold of sorts.

She struggled for a minute more and then stopped, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get free of this one this time.

"Very good! You learn quickly!" The man released the hold on Hera's neck and the moved his hands to hers.

Hera felt a large metal clamp wrap itself around her wrists and then clamp shut preventing her from using either hands efficiently.

"What do you want?" Hera spun around to face the intruder, but quickly found herself slammed to her knees. He then knelt down to her level, matching her gaze with such determination, that if looks could kill, Hera would have been dead on the spot.

"What I want, my dear, isn't of your concern," He waved a hand around as if trying to swat a bug out of the air, "But what is your concern, is how you cooperate."

Hera just continued to glare at the invader.

"I won't cooperate with you if it's the last thing I do," Hera gritted her teeth out of madness.

"Pity, though I hoped that you would say that," the man rose to his full height and then began backing up, "I plan on then blinding both of your Jedi friends now."

It became evident to Hera at that moment, that she wasn't just faced with a threat. She was faced with the man, the Zabarak, who had blinded her lover forever. When the man noticed that she now recognized who he was, he smiled maliciously, looking her over as if she was a tasty treat.

"No you couldn't be him! You can't be Maul!" Hera started to try and back up away from the man, but he only force pushed her to the glass window and pinned her there to it. With no way of moving her hands to where they were if front of her, Hera had no choice but to cry out in pain as they were eating into her back. She tried to wiggle, attempting to get free of the vice grip that had a hold on her.

"Now, now, we won't be having any form of escaping. Otherwise, I will have to make this clearly more painful than it is already." He released the hold once he was convinced that his prisoner would cooperate and Hera came crashing down. She had no means of breaking her fall so she ended up face planting into the ground beneath her.

"Now here's what I really want," Maul grabbed Hera's face and forced her to look him square in his yellow eyes, "is to ask you a few questions pertaining a certain Jedi interest I know you have acquaintances with. I want to know his weaknesses as well as strengths. Anything that I can use to knock him down. "

"I won't talk about him," she spat in Maul's face, realizing that he wanted her to talk about Kanan. He released his hold on Hera's face and swung his hand back hard and then slammed the same fist into the floor.

"Very well," gritted teeth became visible, "Then I will have to do this the hard way."

This was one time where she didn't wish to know what the force felt like. Maul raised his right hand and hovered it in front of her face for a few seconds before sending the force through to the Twi-Lek's mind.

Hera squeezed her eyes shut and then let out a soft cry of pain.

Maul seemed to be enjoying the pain he was causing his enemy. He reveled in the information that he was receiving, because Hera, not being a force wielder, couldn't block her memories from his mind. This allowed him access to all Hera's knowledge about Kanan and Ezra.

"You will call them here right now!" Maul clenched his fist tight in the midst of his rage, "I will force you to do it whether you like it or not."

"Or….what?" Hera forced herself to look at her opponent before quickly clamping them shut again as the force hit her hard again. This time, the force push against her mind was so tough that she tensed so hard she felt something painfully shift inside the right side of her chest, "If you kill… me, you…. lose all… leverage with… them."

Maul's eyes rose in consideration, and then released his hold on the force.

Hera sighed in relief as the presence of the mystic, invisible force, left her mind for a few seconds. She held her side, careful to keep in\t protected from any forces that may injure it further.

But then she froze and her blood ran cold through her body, as the look on Maul's face betrayed that he had more in store for the Twi-Lek.

"What is your relationship, with….Kanan? Wasn't that the Master Jedi's name is?"

Hera looked skeptically at him. Trying to determine his intentions before she voice the answer to the question held so tightly in the air. She felt her heart race and mind buzz with millions of answers. She was scared. For the first time in a long time she was scared.

If Maul found out that her and Kanan were in a relationship, than things could end badly for not only her, but for her lover. Hera wasn't about to let some red and black skinned creature hurt Kanan again.

"Yes his name is Kanan and we're just friends, that's all," Hera skirted around the subject by saying her answer fast. She even went as far to turn her back on the Zabarak. Little did she know, that the very thing she did, betrayed her true intentions towards Kanan.

Maul just smiled more maliciously than he did before.

"Hah, I knew it!" Maul pumped his fists in the air, "The bond exists!"

"…..The bond?" Hera finally drew the courage to ask the Sith as she slowly turned back around. All the while, continuing her efforts to try and escape by leaving the room.

"Every force user has a bond. First and foremost, to the master that trained them, second to their own apprentices, and lastly, to the people that they love," Maul began to circle her, studying her from the top of her head downwards, "That bond can be used for a multitude of things, but the thing it's commonly know to do is to allow the Jedi at one end to sense…"

Before Maul even finished his sentence, he punched Hera right where she had been holding her side, causing an even louder pop than before to ring out and echo throughout the room. Hera all but collapsed to the ground as the sharp pain from the broken ribs rattled her to her core. She let out a shrill and loud cry. But to both Maul and Hera's surprise, she let out a loud cry for help.

"It helps them sense pain!" Maul began to pace back and for the in front of a crouched Hera who was still trying to call out for help to the numerous people she knew were right outside the door.

"No one can hear you," Maul crouched low to the Twi-lek on the floor and gestured to the sound proofing on the walls and ceiling, "The only one who will save you now, will be your friends."

This time, Maul reeled back to stomp hard on Hera's exposed legs. With a force guided and force empowered stomp, he broke both of them with one clean movement of his own feet. At this point, Hera was crying. The pain was more than she ever felt before and she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to hold on.

"You're pain will feed through your bond, and go directly to Kanan," Maul began to circle the crippled Twi-lek, "And then he will come and attempts to save you, I will kill him in front of you and Ezra!"

He continued to beat on Hera as she cried out for him to stop. Little did she know that her lover and his apprentice were close to becoming aware of her plight.


	2. Error Fixed!

hey guys the formatting error should be fixed! Thank you for letting me know it happened and keep me informed if it does it again! Thanks again!


	3. Chapter 2

_Meanwhile, on the moon…._

Kanan and Ezra were almost finished with the supply run Hera had sent them on. They just needed Meilooruns as normal. Which, also as normal, they were next to impossible to find.

And it didn't help matters that Kanan was blind.

"Do you see any yet?" Kanan gestured with his free had towards the many stands that surrounded them, all the while, keeping one hand on Ezra's shoulder. Being that they were in a market place, it was crowded, it was necessary that they keep each other close, because one wrong move, would end them both in a serious bit of trouble or end up with Kanan blundering around aimlessly.

"No I haven't se…..Wait! There is a stand just up ahead! And I see the Meilooruns!" Ezra's pace started to pick up, but a quick squeeze on the shoulder reminded the headstrong youngster that the older man behind him couldn't keep up without his sight.

But Kanan didn't just squeeze his shoulder because Ezra was going to fast. No he stopped, because the force was trying to warn him about something but he couldn't quite place it. Kanan was so lost in thought that he didn't realize that he had stopped in the middle of the pathway and was grasping Ezra's shoulder so tight, it was causing the younger man some pain.

"Hey master would you lighten….," Ezra turned around to address his master, but then immediately knew something was wrong as Kanan's face paled, "Master? What's going on?"

But Kanan never answered. He just stood there feeling through the force. His hand had long since slipped away from Ezra's shoulder. But then he involuntarily moved his hand to his right side. And then the waves of indistinguishable waves of the force became clear.

"We have to get back to Attoton," Kanan quickly turned around and faced the way that they came. He totally forgot that he couldn't see and completely turned into a man who was holding a basket of bread that was native to the moon. Kanan fell over with the bread falling on top of him. The man, who had been carrying the basket, growled in anger at the two Jedi and then began shouting at them in a language neither Kanan or Ezra knew.

Ezra helped his master to his feet and then proceeded to guide him back towards the Phantom. Being confused at his master's urgency, he decided to talk some sense back into his master.

"Master, you can't just walk in there blindly," Ezra tried to pull against his master's speeding form, "We need a plan."

"There's no time," Kanan pulled his arm out of the grip of his padawan's and resumed his brisk walk back towards the waiting ship.

"Then can you at least tell me what you're sensing?" the young one paused for a few seconds before jogging to catch back up with his master.

Kanan didn't bother to tell his apprentice. Instead, he plugged along, this time, without the guidance of Ezra.

"Kanan, tell me now!" Ezra grabbed Kanan's shoulder and turned him around to where the blind master was at least facing his direction and standing still.

Kanan let out a huge exasperated sigh.

"You know how when I was captured by the Inquisitor and you reached out to me?" Kanan began.

"Yeah I do. I was able to sense that you were still alive," Ezra crossed his arms in exasperation.

"Did you sense any pain?"

Ezra scratched his head as if trying to get something out and then his face lit up in recognition.

"Yeah I did, but it was so brief that I didn't think it was yours. But what does that have to do with you're eagerness to get out of here?"

Kanan sighed again.

"There is something about the force that you don't know yet and I didn't think that it was important to teach you," Kanan slowly walked over to the nearest wall, being careful not to bump into anyone or anything and then leaned against it, "When a master grows in his relationship with his apprentice, a bond is formed. Through that bond, the master can feel the padawan's pain and the apprentice can feel the master's pain."

It was Ezra's turn to look eager as he soaked in the words of his master.

"But it doesn't always have to be between two force users," Kanan shifted his position against the wall.

It then made sense. Kanan was sensing someone's pain. Though Ezra didn't know whose, he knew it had to be one of the Ghost crew members.

"Do you know who it is that is experiencing pain?" Ezra held out his arms and shrugged his shoulders indicating to his master that he had no clue.

"No," Kanan shook his head side to side, "That part is clouded to me. But whoever is in danger is someone close to me."

"Could it be Hera?" Ezra quickly brought his hands to his mouth after saying that when his master's face contorted to a look of horror.

After Ezra said Hera's name out loud, it hit him like a ton of bricks that his apprentice hit the nail on the head.

It had to be Hera. It was the only explanation.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ezra coaxed his master by pushing him from the wall and continued to guide him towards the awaiting Phantom. Ezra could see that he had confirmed who it was by just a name.

Once inside, Ezra quickly fired up the ship careful to make sure Kanan was situated before taking off. He quickly made his way back towards Atollon, unsure as to what was going on or who was behind this, but he trusted his master and therefore knew it was a dire situation.

Once we hit the ground in Attoton, Kanan got real still. Ezra was dumbfounded at how quickly Kanan tapped into the force to locate the source of the distress his master was feeling. The younger man felt the force grow and move around him and then could feel it center around his master. It seemed forever for Kanan to make a move, or say a word, but when he did, it seemed like in the blink of an eye, Kanan was no longer blind as he bolted forward.

Kanan was also surprised at the spectacle the force was showing. Since he couldn't see normally anymore, the force seemed to compensate at the strangest but most dire of times. It seemed that this was one of them as he burst towards the doors of the base with speeds he didn't even know he had.

Ezra just stood there still as could be as he marveled at his master.

"Ezra, come on!" The doors opened behind Kanan as he gestured, in the general direction of Ezra, for Ezra to follow. Ezra quickly shook the surprise from his mind and then attempted to catch up to his master.

If it wasn't for the force guiding them through the maze that was the Rebel Base, then Ezra would have been lost at the first turn. But Kanan, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly where he was going and took little time in getting through the hallways.

Once Kanan neared _where_ he assumed was the origin of the disturbance in the force, he slowed down and then proceeded with much caution. You could see that the impressive exertion of the Force and the run was taking a toll out of the older man. He breathed hard and placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Ezra could see that his master's face was slightly pale.

"Kanan are you alright?" Ezra placed his right hand on his master's shoulder prompting Kanan's blank stare to gaze upon him.

Kanan huffed as he continued to try and catch his breath.

"Yeah….just…give me a….second," Kanan waved off the attention of his padawan.

Ezra then decided to divert his attention to see _who_ was causing the disturbance. He knelt down on the floor and began to meditate to try and figure out who the intruder was. At first, all he felt was Kanan's force signature beaming off of him. But then something dark and cold crept through the warmth that was his master, and became all to familiar to him.

"The Sith," Ezra gritted his teeth in anger. He knew how and had seen how powerful the wielders of the Dark Side were. Him and his master were victims of it. And now it seemed to have found its way into the depths of the base they thought was clear.

"The what?" Kanan's head lifted in anguish. Worry ran over his features as the paleness continued to worsen.

Ezra seemed to take note of this.

"Perhaps we should call in security to handle this, Kanan. You don't look too well," Ezra met his master's gaze which seemed haunted; almost distant even.

Kanan shook his head again, this time gazing down towards his feet.

" _We_ have to handle it," Kanan stood back up to his full height, "If what I heard you say is true, then we are the only ones capable of handling this."

"But Kanan you're…" Ezra was quickly stopped when Kanan raised his hands towards him in protest against what he was about to say.

"I'm fine, just the strong use of the force is draining me a little bit."

Ezra heaved a sigh of frustration, but conceded to allow his master to continue on, despite the condition he was in.

"Let's just get this over with quickly," Kanan began running his hands along the wall, feeling for something.

Ezra found himself once again immersed in a tremendous amount of the force as Kanan used it. From what Ezra could sense himself, it seemed as if Kanan was searching for the exact location that the source of the dark side was emanating from. It was like a swath of blue was pushing against the door of red; trying to push it free from its locked state.

"Whoever it is, is inside the observatory," Kanan gestured towards the door a few feet in front of them towards their right.

Ezra began to edge towards it, taking slow, careful strides as if the floor underneath would give away their position.

"Be wary. If this person or entity is Sith, then we need to be on our guard at all times," Kanan started to follow behind me, but his legs gave out as a bit as did the immense gathering of the force around him. Ezra glanced back at his master, with concern written all over his face.

"Go Ezra! Don't worry about me. Get to the door and open it!" Kanan leaned against the wall for a few seconds before catching right back up to his apprentice's location.

Ezra tried using the control panel to the right of the door, but it didn't budge. It surprised the young man so much that he almost bumped into Commander Sato who had come to investigate the quick return of the resident Jedi.

"Commander Sato," Kanan gestured for the Commander to come over to him. Sato did as he was asked and was soon facing the blind Jedi, "We need you to clear this section of the base immediately."

"Whatever is the….." Sato was cut off by a sharp pat on the shoulder by Kanan.

"No time, just alert everyone quickly and quietly and make sure that no one comes within a mile of the observatory."

Sato stood there and shifted his gaze between Kanan and Ezra, trying to determine what was going on. But then he conceded to the Jedi Master's wishes and quickly left the hallway whispering something into his comlink.

"Kanan, I can't get the door open," Ezra once again tried the panel but nothing was working. He then tried to pry it open with his bare hands, but only succeeded in hitting his head against the door frame when his grip loosened.

"Let me try," Kanan unsteadily walked over to the panel himself and tried to press the code twice.

But Kanan and Ezra were startled when the door suddenly opened itself.

The elder Jedi shifted his head, indicating that it was okay to go inside. Ezra watched as his master pulled out his lightsaber and put the two pieces together. He took the action as cue to do the same thing.

Kanan then inched slowly into the room till he was completely in the room. It was dark accept for the small amount of light that had been coming through the window. Although Kanan couldn't really see it, the sun was setting and it cast a blue hue across everything.

Kanan could sense Ezra following close behind as he heard the sound of the door closing. Listening, he could hear nothing that indicated that the presence felt was near.

But then the dark side of the force flowed in full swing. The cold enveloped the Jedi as the entity that was the Sith was now present inside of the room.

"Well, it seems that the bond worked after all," Ezra looked around the room and Kanan listened as the enemy made his presence known.

"Maul," Ezra clenched his fists tightly at the sight of man. He almost didn't see that Kanan has stopped in front of him until it was almost too late.

The red and black skinned Zabarak smiled in a sinister manner as the two Jedi drew ever closer together to each other. Maul noticed that the Master ignited his lightsaber and held it out in his direction, but his eyes weren't looking towards him, they were looking past him.

This unsettled Maul just a bit. He lost the last time he fought Kanan and knew that something had to give in order for him to win. But then he quickly noticed that the elder Jedi's hand was shaking because the lightsaber wasn't as steady as it normally was. This would give him the upper hand, he was sure of it.

"What are you doing here Maul?" Ezra ignited his own lightsaber, which was brand new, and also pointed it towards him as well.

"What I am here for has nothing to do with you boy," Maul stretched out his right hand and force pushed Ezra sideways, into the nearest wall, "You will sleep now."

Once Ezra hit the wall, he slumped against it and fell unconscious.

That left Kanan, tired and drained as he was, to fight against Maul by himself.

Kanan's grip on his lightsaber tightened as he attuned himself to the Force once again to be able to be aware of Maul's position at all times. It also seemed as if the force enhanced his hearing as even the Zabarak's breath could be heard as if he was close. It seemed that the Sith Lord could also sense the tremendous surge of the force coming from his enemy as he slightly backed up away from Kanan.

"Really Maul what do you want?" Kanan turned his blind eyes towards the Sith in the room sending glares through the force. Kanan didn't need his eyes to show how much he really hated the Zabarak and all that he stood for.

"You much know by now, why you are here. Why I brought you here," Maul slowly inched his way towards the Jedi Master. Taking advantage of Kanan's lack of sight, he crept around to where he was now behind Kanan.

"You want to kill me," Kanan sensed Maul's movements and shift a bit to where he wouldn't be blindsided by an attack.

"Yes, but I never thought you'd actually come, so I discovered your weakness," Maul used the force to move a now unconscious Hera to the foreground. Kanan became aware of his friend's plight rather quickly and when he noticed what had happened to her, everything that had transpired earlier started falling into place in his mind.

"Hera!" Kanan tried to advance towards the Twi-Lek, but was forced backward by the force. Kanan managed to land on his feet, and turned to face the Sith full force, "What have you done to her?"

"Nothing that she couldn't handle," Maul continued to draw closer to Kanan as he tried to let the Jedi Master know who was in charge now, "I discovered your affinity for the Twi-lek and figured out that there was a bond there. I decided to use it to lure you in. It seemed like it worked perfectly."

Kanan's body trembled when he recalled the feeling of pain coming through the force to him. He didn't really know that he and Hera had established a bond, but it seemed like they had. And now that he knew that it could be used against him, it made him more apprehensive of how freely that information could be revealed. He made a mental note that if he was to survive this that he would train himself as well as Hera to put up mental barriers in case of a mental invasion.

"You will not stand in my way this time," Maul ignited his own lightsaber and pointed it towards the Jedi, "I will kill you this time and take Ezra for my own and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

Maul then proceeded to attack Kanan. At first it was a quiet walk, as Maul was trying to trick Kanan into making a wrong move. Maul was slightly intimidated by Kanan's heightened senses through the force so he somewhat kept a distance, but knew that in order to kill Kanan, he would have to get close. The Jedi had grown in his abilities to wield a blade as well as use the force since the Zabarak blinded him. But recalling the earlier shaking, Maul knew that the master before him wasn't faring well to the swell of the force that kept emanating from him and was going to use that to his advantage.

Maul threw the first strike and it was a swing towards Kanan's back. Kanan quickly parried it and then made strike of his own. It didn't go far as Maul met the attack halfway. They locked blades for a few seconds and then both made the distance between them grow.

They went on like this for what seemed like hours, but had truly only been minutes, before Maul noticed that Kanan's strength was wavering. With every blow of his offensive stance in the battle, Kanan's defensive strikes and counteracting swings weren't as powerful as they had been a few minutes ago. The force swells that were enhancing the Jedi's abilities, was now hindering him and causing him to lack focus.

" _You can't win, you know that right?"_ Maul used a quick mind meld to talk to Kanan through their minds. This startled Kanan so much that he found himself becoming distracted of the duel that was happening.

Kanan also noticed how quickly and tired he was becoming in this fight. It became terribly clear that Maul was the better fighter and that Kanan would eventually lose the battle. So instead of engaging the Zabarak in lightsaber combat, Kanan resorted to throwing whatever loose articles that surrounded the two to try with the force to try to distract the Sith Lord.

But nothing Kanan was throwing at Maul was fazing him. Maul would either counteract with the force or cut it in half with his lightsaber. Then the Sith decided that he would do the same thing back to the Jedi, but his was much more forceful.

And this resulted in Kanan getting clipped in the right temple with one of the heavy boxes. He became lightheaded and he could feel the blood dripping down his face and into his eyes. Kanan collapsed to his knees as they gave out from a combination of the blow as well as exhaustion from the massive display of the force that he was showing.

"Got you," Maul turned off his lightsaber and raised his hand as if he had Kanan physically by the neck and then forced him against the wall. Slowly and painfully, Maul began to constrict Kanan's airflow causing the Jedi Master to become distressed.

"No…stop," Kanan's hands immediately went to his throat and he began clawing at the invisible hands that were now encapsulated around his neck. It wasn't the first time Kanan had almost been choked to death, but it was the first time that he couldn't physically fight back.

But then a blood curdling shout of the word 'no' emanated throughout the entire observatory as well as the sound of a third lightsaber being ignited. Maul turned to find Ezra, who was now awake, glaring at him. Both of his hands were on his lightsaber and were clenched tight to it.

"Let…him…go," Ezra took one step closer to the Sith Lord, lightsaber pointed directly at him. The Zabarak could hear and see the anger in both Ezra's voice and his in his eyes and knew he had a threat.

Maul just laughed and tightened his grip on Kanan's throat.

"He is standing in my way, young Ezra. Can't you see that?" Maul turned towards Ezra and matched his glare. Ezra could see that Kanan's face turn all shades of colors. Right then and there, he knew Kanan wouldn't make it much longer if he didn't act now.

"All I see is that you are hurting the only man who has seemed like a father to me," Ezra took another step closer, "And I hate you and would never join you even if you did. You hurt him and you hurt me and I will never forgive you for that."

And with those final words, Ezra swung his blade towards Maul's own neck. Maul had to release his hold on Kanan to use both hands to counterattack the powerful blow his soon to be apprentice has done.

Kanan went slumping to the ground and was almost limp except for the heavy rise and fall of his chest. Ezra stole a glance towards his master who was trying his hardest to recover fast to help his padawan.

But he was failing.

This left Ezra to fight Maul alone.

They locked blades and the spectacle of green and red was flashing right before their eyes. Maul let out a howl of frustration as Ezra, unmoving from his position, was gaining ground fast.

Ezra used all of his strength to press his attack against Maul. This time, he was fueled by his intense hatred for the man standing in front of him.

" _Ezra! Don't give into your anger!"_ Kanan used their bond to communicate, " _This only fuels him and will make him harder to beat!"_

Ezra mentally took note of his master's words, but was too late to stop the onslaught of swings, parries and thrusts the Sith was throwing at him. Maul used the force to push Ezra away.

Eventually, his lightsaber was thrown from his grasp and once again, Ezra was pinned against the nearest wall, unable to move because of the Force that held him there.

"If I can't kill your master, then I will use your bond with him to do so!" Maul clenched his teeth so tightly, it looked like his jaw would break at any moment.

Maul disengaged his lightsaber and raised his other hand to where it was inches above Ezra's face. And in the blink of an eye, Ezra was under fire from Maul's own mind. He could feel mental claws tearing through the barriers around the bond between him and Kanan. He could feel the pain and then feel Maul's anger towards him. But try as he might, Ezra couldn't keep his shields intact for long and found Maul tearing through. Then started communication with his master.

" _I will not let you live!"_ Maul maliciously turned his head towards the Jedi who was still crumpled on the floor. Ezra could hear every word as Maul used their bond that they shared to crush his master with words.

Ezra heard Maul use the force to command and used the force to break as many of Kanan's ribs as he could. He cringed as the cries of his master could be heard from across the room and Ezra was helpless to do anything. Cry after cry Ezra had to endure and he didn't know how much he could take it as Maul tore through his master like he was his prey. He wasn't just hearing the pained calls for the torture to stop, but he could also hear it through their shared bond. But then he heard the Sith try to call out for Kanan's heart to stop.

" _Maul, stop it or else.."_ Ezra pleaded with the Zabarak, interrupting his call for his master to finally die.

"Or what?" Maul turned his attention back towards Ezra who was still dangling in the air, "You will kill me?"

"No, I will," Ezra looked past Maul to find that a now conscious Hera crawled over to his discarded lightsaber and had ignited it.

Before Maul could react, Hera had plunged the green blade straight through the middle of his chest. The cold, that was the dark side of the force, diminished as Maul fell to his knees. The presence also inside of Ezra's mind left as Maul died right in front of him.

Once Ezra was clear of the force hold Maul had on him, he rushed over to Hera.

"Are you okay?" Ezra checked her over for injuries and found a couple broken bones and a lot of bruises but otherwise found her to be okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Hera pushed him away and pointed towards Kanan, who hadn't risen from his position on the ground, "Go help him!"

Ezra rushed over and kneeled down to his master who seemed to be unconscious, lying face down on the ground. His breathing was labored probably due to the many broken ribs. Ezra flipped Kanan over and laid his head on his legs to where he was now facing upwards and looking directly at him. Even though Kanan couldn't see, his cloudy eyes that were once full of life, now looked at Ezra with as much recognition as if he could see. A cough erupted as Kanan took in a deep breath which was obviously a wrong move. He then closed his eyes as a rush of pain overtook him.

"No,no,no,no,no! Kanan please don't die on me!" Ezra slightly shook his master.

"I'm….not going to die…on you….Ezra," Kanan's words came out harshly through clenched teeth, "But…I…may pass out….from exhaustion and if…. you don't get…..medical…help soon."

Kanan smiled up at his padawan who laughed slightly through tears of joy.

He soon found Hera joining them; crawling over to the two.

"What happened?" Ezra turned to the Twi-lek, looking for answers.

She explained what had happened from the moment they left and to where they found her. She laced in her tone of voice a viciousness that they had never heard from her before.

But the story didn't last long as Ezra and Hera both saw Kanan sound asleep, breathing easier, but still a bit labored.

"Call Commander Sato and tell him to bring a medical team," Hera put her hand on Ezra's shoulder.

"Will do," Ezra moved his hand out from underneath his master's head and proceeded to let the rebellion's commanding officer know that the coast was clear and to bring help.

Kanan, Hera and Ezra stayed like they were will the team got there. The medical team made quick work of making sure Kanan and Hera were on gurneys and headed towards the medical center.

Sato then turned towards the corpse of the deceased Zabarak and demanded to be told what happened.

"That's another story for another time," Ezra patted Sato's shoulder before turning to leave the room, "Just make sure the corpse is discarded far from here."

And with that he left to go follow his friends to the medical center.

 **What did you guys think? Hope you like it and I wanted to know if you want me to write a chapter talking about their recovery? If you like the idea than add that to your review/comment and I will do so! :D**


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